In Which I Pay Off My Car

Back when I moved to Maine, a lot of things started breaking or going wrong, all at once. Among them was my first car–a Pontiac Grand Prix named Rose. She was a 1996, and I think the move across the country had just been too much for her. (Let’s all give a moment of silence to Rose. Poor thing.) We’d had a good run, Rose and I. She’d taken me on my first date with Denisa (even though she did try to derail that a bit by getting a flat tire . . . ), she’d carted me to and from work as a gas meter reader. Ah the adventures we’d had. But she started spouting coolant whenever she got too revved up. Her engine was making funny noises, and the repair bills were getting more and more expensive.

So I did what any respectable car owner would do in that situation: I ditched her for a newer model. A whole different car company, actually. I went the unpatriotic route and got me a Honda Civic. 2007.

And now, almost six years later, that new car is paid off. (Oh–he got a name, too. Buruki. It’s a strange name with a bit of a funny back story. We’d asked TRC at the time what we should name the car. He suggested “Buruki” (buh-rook-ee). I’d never heard the word before, so I asked him why that name. He said it’s what they called Lightning McQueen in Cars all the time. Denisa and I realized he was hearing “the rookie” as “buruki.” So the name stuck.) He’s served the family well so far, with never a burst of coolant to show for it. We’ve gone to Pennsylvania and back many times. To Quebec. To Boston. To pick up two babies from the hospital. Good little car. Thumbs way up for Honda Civics. (No offense, Rose. But we both know you had some real overheating issues, and you did blow that head gasket that one time . . .)

Anyway. Car payment, done. What am I going to do with all that newfound monthly payment-free goodness?

Pretend I still have a car payment.

That’s right. I’m going to keep on setting aside that exact amount, because I know that in a while, I’m going to need to get another car. It’ll happen, sooner or later (hopefully much later). Buruki is going great, but I need to be ready for the inevitable. So I’ll save up the money, probably sock it away in a CD or something, and then when I need a new car, there it’ll be.

It’s so well-reasoned it makes me sick.

In any case, yay for not having to make the payment anymore. Five and a half years is longer than I’d like to be making car payments, that’s for sure. Hopefully I’ll avoid that in the future . . .